


All Tomorrow's Parties

by RukaIsAFan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Clones, Fluff and Angst, Galaxy Garrison, It's a beginning of a beautiful relationship., M/M, Memory Loss, Multi, Polyamory, Sheith Secret Santa 2017, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-03-01 02:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13285020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RukaIsAFan/pseuds/RukaIsAFan
Summary: The Kerberos Mission was a success.... for the most part. Life returned to normal, Shiro was now an assistant flight instructor. There were holes in his memories, the same with the Holt's, and strangely the mission took longer than they planned for. Yet, all the same, it was a success.A year later after they returned, a cadet by name of Keith Kogane is making a name for himself. Shiro can't help but think that he knew the man from somewhere.The troubling part is when he spotted the maverick pilot with a doppelgänger of himself.





	All Tomorrow's Parties

**Author's Note:**

  * For [epiproctan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/epiproctan/gifts).



> With apologies for the delay, here's my Sheith Secret Santa exchange for Epiproctan! 
> 
> I kinda went for a mix of the prompts because of that sweet, sweet Shiro/Keith/Kuron and BOM!Keith trying pass as Normal Guy.

And life returned to normal.

Commander Holt’s research earned him an award. Matt became an officer. Takashi Shirogane became the newest assistant instructor, meaning that he was babysat and just told to watch the students, at the Galaxy Garrison. It was astounding how much progress they had made, but how little Shiro felt the Kerberos mission impacted his life.

It made him smile that he didn’t have to have any more photography sessions to go to. For now, he could focus on the cadets he taught. Sure, he had to follow the lesson plans he was given, but at least he can try to help them all out.

Though currently, there was rivalry going on between two cadets that made his headache worse. A cadet named Lance (lack of focus, overconfidence, but lots of potential) decided to take aim at what the rest of the instructors called their all-star student. A young cadet named Keith Kogane appeared at the gates one day and enrolled. It was quickly realized that this mysterious man could soar.

While Keith was their top student, he did have a glaring weakness: socialization. The young cadet was cagey about answering questions about himself, giving nonanswers to those who ask and at times he seemed to forget his last name. He lived off campus and always left at the end of classes. In addition, Keith didn’t seem to understand social cues or had to had many slang terms explained to him. This was a cadet that didn’t even know what a second was.

He was also quick to anger and very fast with a quip.

He also made Shiro wish he wasn’t his teacher because Keith was charming in his own way and beautiful with his alien colored eyes. They were an intense indigo that shifted in the light. When Shiro talked to him, Keith relaxed slightly and it felt as if they were friends for a long time in spite of Keith’s strange mannerism. It made Shiro's head hurt because it made him harder to grade Keith objectively.

But not too hard since Keith Kogane had perfect scores on his theory tests, and nearly perfect on his simulation scores. Keith even wrote notes in the margins on his tests about theories they haven’t learned or in a few cases new theories of his own.

It was awe-inspiring to watch over Keith.

It was if Keith flew since he was child due to him being a prodigy at flying. His only weakness was that he had a shaky start when flying a new craft, a problem that solved itself within an hour.

When Shiro sat in to observe Keith during flight training, Keith would relax around him but sometimes he stared at Shiro. He would apologize moments later, but it also made Shiro aware that he was staring at Keith as well. He didn't know if it was infatuation (he barely knew the guy) or if being around him made Shiro feel as if he was safe.

That was also a strange feeling since he returned from Kerberos. The headache and the strange anxiety in the back of his head were constant. Shiro wasn't jumpy, but vigilant. He had problems sleeping and felt himself grow leaden around the metal shops. His senses were on full alert picking up the scraps of metals and shrieks of sparks.

After Keith leaves from the campus, Shiro often stared into the mirror hanging above the sink in a private bathroom. His eyes rolling over the white strands of hair in his forelock. It was pure black before the mission and when he returned they were there. He had several nicks and scars on his body. He looked so much older than he was.

It bothered him that he didn't remember how he got it during the Kerberos mission. There were parts of it that had faded into a morass of black. Even the brass couldn't find anything abnormal with him when he returned. Every instrument was fine. All records in a perfect state. Matt Holt had a scar on his leg. Yet, no one could explain.

When Keith leaves, that feeling that of loss comes back and the headache strengthens until the next time Keith comes around.

And each week, Shiro spies Keith in the crowd of cadets and his body feels a roll of relief that keeps surprising him.

It wasn't against rules for him to fraternize with the cadets off campus, as long as they weren't directly in your classes or command. The Garrison had students ranging from mid-teens to young adults depending on the course.

Besides, the Garrison decided that Shiro needed more work and told him since Keith seemed to ACTUALLY be polite and respectful in a non-cordial way, Shiro would mentor the lone wolf, Keith Kogane. It was all official with signatures and smirks of "Good Luck, Shirogane!" to him.

Really, Shiro knew they gave the mentoring to him because he was the lowest ranking teacher, a young adult, finished a famed space exploratory mission, and because most of them were intimidated by Keith and he wasn't.

Shiro might have to thank that cadet, Lance, for bringing up that Keith really needed help with his soft skills. It would be nice to get to know the enigmatic Keith more as well.

It was after class hours, Shiro walked to his hoverbike, a sleek black speedster that was his first purchase after burgers and fries when he landed and spotted the black hair of Keith near a cherry red hoverbike. A smile on his formed as he crossed the lot to talk to him. He knew what he was going to say and what he was going to offer.

A second person stood up and walked out from behind the red hoverbike.

Shiro froze as he saw Keith smile and laugh.

There _he_ was, a full white stripe in his hair, scar on the bridge of his nose, and a metal right arm.

_It was then he noticed it._

His migraine returned with full force. It hurt. It hurt so much.

_He stared at the other him and his eyes widen._

**Pain.**

_"KEITH!"_

Shiro heard his own voice say Keith's name and with the blurred vision, he saw the man point at him.

Shiro scrambled to catch him as he fell.

"Keith...." Shiro looked at himself, "We need to take him."

"Are you sure?" Keith pressed his nails into his jacket. Keith was apprehensive about most things, especially when it came to things like this.

"I know. I know. Keith, this will be bad if we leave him here. Besides, I know you like him."

Keith makes the most adorable expression, like a cat being caught ripping open a packet of treats to eat them all, and while it was a hunch Shiro just knew.

"Fine, but Kolivan...." Keith whispered. "You have to adapt. We have to adapt," Shiro hoisted his other's unconscious body and fished for the keys, "Besides, the Garrison will be on this if we leave him."

Keith closed his eyes, Shiro smiled and placed a hand on Keith's shoulder. This was practically the young man's venture from safety and while Keith had training... Earth was alien to him. It was why they were together.

"To home?" Keith bent his head so his cheek touched the topside of Shiro's hand.

"Always, I'll take him. His bike has more power," Shiro smiled at the affectionate gesture.

Shiro laid the body over the chassis of the bike and did what he could to strap him in. He had taste, Shiro whistle as he lifted the leg over the smooth black body. He could appreciate it later, he didn't want anyone to notice that Takashi Shirogane was carrying the body of Takashi Shirogane away on a hoverbike.

* * *

When Shiro woke up, he was on a couch and it was cold despite the dozen of blankets on him. Well, it was wasn't a dozen as he was unable to count them since he had a huge headache and it wasn't a hangover since he hasn't drunk any alcohol for months. So waking up on someone's couch because he drank too much was out of the question.

He squinted at lights around.

"Keith, he's awake. I'm going outside."

Why did that sound like him? Was he speaking?

Is this one of those derealization episodes he read about?

"No, Shiro. I can't do this alone."

"I trust you, Keith. You can do it. You always can do it," Shiro spoke, slurred.

"Keith... I'll be outside the door."

Shiro looked at the figure leaving. That is some serious bling on that arm. Like armor. Also hey, he had a hair twin, a fraternal one.

"Shiro!"

He saw a smaller figure grabbed the figure before it cleared the door's threshold, a flash came from his hands.

"I'm right here, Keith." Shiro slurred, blinking his eyes more. His head was clearing up more.

" _Keith._ " The larger figure was acting scandalized.

Shiro's vision cleared up and he saw the doppelgänger and Keith gripping on the back of the shirt in one hand and a weird purple sword in the other, "What."

Keith turned to him with the figure also looking at him, "We can explain."

The double just collapsed his shoulders in defeat, "Keith isn't great with tact."

Shiro started to pull the blankets off of him. He didn't have a twin. His parents had pictures. He’s seen them. The headache was pounding. He staggered to his near mirror image gripping the shirt it was wearing.

Keith was raising his Blade of Mamora sword at him.

Shiro retched.

“Keith, grab some towels and new clothes... for both of us!”

They separated Shiro from the Holts. They, the Galra, did cruel things to him. They were talking about making a weapon out of him. They made him fight. Until one day, a group of Galra got him out. They got them all out.

It was because of Keith.

It was a small group and they weren’t under orders to get the Kerberos group out. Yet, it was hinted that it was because of the smallest one there who kept himself masked. He was obviously doted upon and between the group, they all acted as if were they raise him. He remembered Commander Holt raising an eyebrow when the name Keith was heard.

It was by accident that Shiro saw Keith unmasked. Keith looked human for a half-Galra alien. He remembered Keith when he smiled when Shiro told him about Earth. It made Shiro smile because Keith finally knew that there was a planet full of people where he would fit in.

The small Blade of Marmora cell divulged a clue that would help ensure the safety of the universe and defeat the Galra Empire, the Blue Lion of Voltron was on Earth. They were to find it and send word to the Blades when it was found. It was all agreed that they would keep quiet to their own planet’s citizens until such a time it would be necessary to disclose.

Yet after, they didn’t remember. During the flight back, the trauma slowly blacked out the memories. And life moved on.

He forgot.

“Hey, we’re cleaning you up right now.” His own face was looking at him as he was wiped and undressed. There were more scars on it and there was a lack of an undercut, but it was the same as the one he saw in pictures of himself.

He forgot Keith and the Blue Lion. Not only that but the Galra decided to clone him and then torture the clone in place of him. Because he escaped, they created and mutilate an innocent.

Keith was probably thinking Shiro was going to hurt his clone by the way he readied his sword.

“I’m so sorry, Keith. I forgot the mission,” Shiro bit back the bile long enough to hoarsely apologize.

His headache was gone and with the rush of relief, he felt his body slip into unconsciousness.

 

* * *

When Shiro woke up again, he back under the pile of blankets. His clothes were hung up on a line of cotton rope in front of him that was blocking the view of the only other person in the room. He groaned and closed his eyes again to block out the light.

He wanted this feeling of being guilty to stop.

Shiro couldn’t believe he forgot Keith, much less how he could have forgotten him.

“He went to school. I called you out,” his double said without turning around.

Shiro opened his eyes and could see that he was cleaning. Oh yeah, Shiro did make a mess.

“You’re not moving until he gets home. I don’t want to clean up again and you need to rest,” the double spoke as Shiro started to move from his covers.

“I’m being nannied by my own twin,” Shiro muttered.

The double froze in the middle of wiping down the floor. Shiro knew it was from his word choice. Clone sounded so… inhumane and he could blame it on the sci-fi stories he gobbled up as a teen for that. It must be weird for both of them to easily accept that he saw the other Shiro as a twin.

Then again, he accepted Keith off the bat when he saw Keith wasn’t purple, but still decidedly half-Galra.

“That was fast,” his twin threw the soiled rag into the dry sink.

“You probably remember the same books I’ve read. Don’t tell me-“

“Yeah, I remember playing that video game too with the clones. I remember the whole starring at the screen and internal dialogue about what if Takashi was a clone or had a clone,” the twin went to see if the clothes were dried.

Shiro sighed. He remembered that too.

“There’s a difference between theoretical and what actually happens.”

“And I guess all that theorizing of having someone make a clone of you came in handy,” Shiro barked a laugh, “Still….”

“Still.” His twin copied.

The day lazed onward, and Shiro kept observing his twin. It was strangely easy to accept this person now existed. However, there was the guilt inside. One hand, this Shiro was born because he escaped, but the purpose was too obvious.

He was more somber. There were the metal arm and the multitude of scars that was both inside and out. The first happy memory of his twin was probably seeing Keith again. Then again, his twin probably then had to find out that he wasn’t ‘real’.

If it was him, he would be devastated. Born to be a substitute for insidious projects and experimentations with someone’s memories inside. It was those memories that kept Shiro was falling into despair when he was tortured. He used those memories to hang his hopes and spite on so he would have the motivation to keep going, to keep living for one more day.

It was so easy to accept this person because it was so easy to be in his shoes. To see how everything that happened before a certain point didn’t, and beat back the tears that clung to his eyes. No one should have gone through what Shiro did, but now that someone did… and had worst he wanted to care.

Even if that feeling of being violated was still there.

It was his fault.

“I’m surprised,” His twin spoke to break him from his meditation of regret.

“Surprised?” Shiro’s voice unintentionally cracked.

“That you haven’t figured Keith out earlier.” His twin was folding the laundry.

“Why?” Shiro beat his brow.

“Keith is….” His twin gave him a dry smile.

“What? He’s a little awkward, but that wasn’t a red flag,” Shiro shook his head. Keith was mysterious and gifted, but he was a stand out in a way that wasn’t atypically peculiar. It was mostly assumed that Keith was severely sheltered than an alien. Plus in defense of the Garrison, while everyone on Earth knew alien life does exist they weren’t expecting to run into sentient alien life and assume that humanity hasn’t had any previous contact.

Which is why Keith was just known as a prodigy than someone born in outer space.

“Really? I guess my coaching was better than I thought.” His twin blinked.

There was a period of comfortable silence between them. Trying to adjust to a new normal for both of them where you are talking to yourself but not yourself. Where both of you were the exact same being until each one was forced onto a different path in a story. Now both of them were trying to cope with the idea that their paths were now back into one where that path was separated into parallel tracks.  

"You picked his last name out.” Shiro was hit with the real meaning behind that last name.

He was more known to be serious, but Shiro still appreciated humor none the less. That ‘Kogane’ was given to Keith as a last name, a name that often written as ‘gold’ compared to ‘Shirogane’ being written to mean ‘silver’, was a private inside joke that Shiro was now in on. It wasn’t odd when Shiro first met Keith, but now he appreciated the sly smirk his twin was giving him. Shiro knew his mouth was making the same smirk as he shook his head.

“I knew you would appreciate it.”

Shiro would have laughed, his mouth even opened to make the sound, but, then it hit him again. This Shiro, his new twin, had the possibility that he didn’t know he wasn’t the first Shiro. That he was created in a lab from cells or whatever strange magic-like science that made it possible for his existence.

There really needs to be a manual for what to do in this situation. Not one that was tongue in cheek, but then again Shiro would feel better if there was a satirical manual on this situation.

"I can go by Takashi to avoid confusion. Shiro One and Shiro Two will just end up being harder to say," Shiro offered.

"That's not gonna help," his twin shake his head, "Just keep your own name."

Silence crept over them as Shiro was pull back to ruminate about what he got himself into. Trouble. A whole lot of trouble. He was still exhausted at expending the mental energy to cope. As much as he hated not doing anything, his muscles have decided to revolt against moving from the pullout bed he was on.  

In spite of being bound to stay awake -at least until Keith came back, he told himself- but in the spirit of recuperating, he fell asleep. He didn’t see the other him fidgeting around trying to occupy himself or gazing off to the horizon trying to a familiar red hoverbike. Or the frown he had as his twin looked at Shiro and then back at the twilight.

Nor did Shiro feel and hear the creak of the spring being pushed together as his twin collapsed on it from his own exhaustion.

What Shiro hear and felt wake him up with a jolt. There were frighten horrible sounds beyond any description and the bed shook with violence. Shiro himself nearly screamed from the alarm until he noticed the ramblings of desperation and despair, and shivers and cold sweat.

It made his heart drop and ache.

He wouldn’t ever be able to understand what happened exactly. That every precise detail that torment his nearly create twin, but Shiro knew some of them. The scars from fighting for someone else’s twisted entertainment. The losing of hope over time for salvation. That each second forward in time meant he was closing in on giving up.

There was one thing he needed, not wanted or desired, but needed back there in those cells.

Shiro slowly wrapped his hands around him and pulled him in. The quick pulse slowly drops down to a steady slow beat. Did Shiro himself smell like this? His twin was slightly bulkier than him, but Shiro guessed that didn’t matter anymore. He was hearing two different heartbeats: His own and his twin’s.

Shiro didn’t wake up again until the morning. It was the strangest night he had. Not in odd occurrences, but in that it felt safe and comfortable. Both he and his clone were tangled each other and he was also smelling Keith. He also smelled the younger man at brief times, but now that he was next to his twin it permeated the air he was breathing.

Maybe it was because Keith helped rescued him. Or that Keith was shocked that Shiro looked like him and that Keith was awkwardly asking questions about Earth. Or that Keith seemed to defend Shiro when he was drilled for more information than he knew. Keith was linked to safety in his brain. Keith was the north star where Shiro can find and have sanctuary. Shiro wished that smell will transfer to him as his twin was lucky to have it linger.

The door opened with a slam and both of them jolted upright from their entwined position to see Keith.

Shiro blinked as he saw himself leap up to meet him as his memory had to jog itself to remember that the Galra created a copy of himself, making sure to twist his stomach in the process.

“Keith, what’s wrong?” His twin was nearly cradling Keith, who was in need of a shower and rest with dark blue bags under his eyes showing.

“It’s nothing,” Keith folded his arms and looked at the floor.

“It’s not nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

Keith blinked, moving his eyes from each Shiro.

“….Did we just?” Shiro asked, more mortified then he should be.

“Oh heavens, we did,” his twin’s mismatched hands were off of Keith and on his face, scrubbing or hiding his own embarrassment.

“W-what?” Keith sputtered, his brooding interrupted, “What’s wrong?”

“Um,” Shiro sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s silly,” his twin looked away.

“You both said the same thing at the same time? Why is that weird or bad?” Keith’s serious facade came back in spite of his lack of energy -the little Blade of Marmora was swaying to keep himself up.

“It’s cause we’re-“

“Other people do that,” Keith interrupted, clearly agitated from sleep deprivation. “Okay, Keith. I think you need to sit down,” Shiro got up from his nest and with the help of his twin corralled Keith onto sitting on the bed. It was a joint effort and Keith did give his best scowl and wave away (one that reminded him of the Blade’s leader, Kolivan), but they were able to get him to at least not stand.

Where Keith collapsed emotionally onto himself, his face became placid to deflect from the storm inside. The two seemed to be able to decipher that expression with ease through the twin was much faster in placing his hand on Keith’s shoulder. He stayed back.

How could he have forgotten him? Was it painful for Keith to see him again and have him not remember Keith? That Shiro didn’t honestly remember being captured and experimented on? That Keith saved him and then perhaps saved another on him.

Jealous, envy. He was feeling them at the moment, but it doesn’t stop him.

“Did something happened, Keith? A fight?” Shiro pulled a blanket around Keith.

Keith was quiet for seconds before a small nod of acceptance.

“Lance?”

Another nod.

“Who’s Lance?” His twin stared at Shiro. It was hard to ignore the protective edge in his voice, it was certainly more open than Shiro’s own when Shiro was often interrogated about Keith Kogane’s misbehavior and misadventures.

“Other cadet. Very social and competitive.”

“Oh,” his twin drawled as he got the immediate connection.

Keith calmly stated the fact that lead to Lance and him staying overnight to clean all -well the majority- of the latrines after classes. Lance galled Keith by bragging that he was better. This, as Shiro knew, wouldn’t set Keith off. However, Lance noting getting the reaction he wanted decided to dismiss Keith’s abilities in front of him to get Keith’s temper up.

Well, Shiro has seen how volatile Keith can be and he knew his twin has seen the same. Both knew that plain insults won’t get under Keith’s skin, but a combination of different tactics and persistence -which Lance had plenty of- would set the young man off. When Keith did it was like fireworks and really didn’t help his reputation much among the other cadets.

After a few painful minutes, the two lead Keith into the tiny bathroom to wash off both metaphorically and literal dirt from his long night.

“Is Keith doing okay?” His twin looked at him as he went to the kitchen set up. A twinge of protectiveness was in his voice.

“Yes in everything but the aforementioned issue of social skills,” Shiro watched his twin pulled out some vegetables and started to prepare them for cooking, giving the vegetables a quick wash.

“You  know how to cook?” Shiro panned his sight back and forth between the knife in his twin’s hand and his twin’s face.

“No?” His twin raised an eyebrow as if Shiro forgot he can’t cook. Salads, Shiro can do. Toast was edging on his abilities as he depended on a decent toaster for that. He also burnt soup one time. Soup of all things! He had to admit it, he was pretty impressed that he messed that up. It was one of those hyperbole stories people tell to describe why can’t do something. Such as: "I can't do the laundry, the last time I did shrinked all the clothes to infant size and they were all baby pink now. Even the black shirts."

“So salad?” Shiro walked over and grabbed a knife and some veggies to chop.

“No, stew. Keith’s cooking it.”

Well, that was acceptable, but Shiro wasn't sure Keith was up to it.

"Have you guy's found it yet?" Shiro started to dice the onion.

"The Lion, no. For what's supposed to be a huge mechanical beast. Those Altean hide it pretty well -considering humanity really hasn't found it yet."

"No kidding. Mapping the human genome is easy, but finding a large robot is surprisingly hard."

"Alteans," his twin laughed.

"Alteans," Shiro felt his smile widen. "Considering the Galra, do you think Alteans are doglike?"

"Big puppy ears and wet noses. Tags that wail when they fight giant space cats."

"They look like humans with pointy ears in the pictures like elves in your storybooks."

Both of them turned to see Keith, wet and naked. Shiro quickly moved his sight back to his kitchen work.

"Keith! Get some clothes on, we have a guest," his twin also pulled back.

"That's why I'm out here. All the clothes are out here." Keith was pulling something out of a box by the soft rustling noise.

There was logic to it considering how small the structure is. He has yet to go outside to really see the size, but it was pretty tight for the three of them at the moment. Keith quickly went back into the bathroom again to dress.

"I should go," Shiro muttered when he realized that he was intruding on them.

"Why?" His twin blinked.

"People will probably want to visit me since 'I called out sick'," Shiro placed the knife down after finishing the onion.

"You're going with that excuse?"

"I'll come tomorrow," Shiro couldn't believe he's being called by his own clone twin. Which they really need to find a way around the name issue.

His twin looked at him, unblinking.

"Keith has class tomorrow. I'll follow him back here," Shiro spotted his keys and quicking washed the onion off his hands.

" _Fine_ ," his twin's reply was curt.

* * *

"He left, Shiro?" Keith walked out fully dressed.

"Yeah. He'll come back with you tomorrow," Shiro shook his head. Guess it got too awkward for the original Shiro. He had plenty of time to deal with the fact that he wasn't.... Original? Authentic? But, he guessed surprise twin brother via cloning was not on the other one's list of things to planned for. Hypothetical mind exercises when you're a preteen or not, it's still a situation both of them didn't have much preparation for.

"Oh," Keith looked at the door and Shiro's heart squeezed.

Who knew what would have happened if Keith wasn't there to save him. Not from just being used for experiments, but when he was told the truth. The loud words the Galra and half-Galra of the Blades of Marmora were shouting when they found out the empire perfected cloning of a species right down to memories.

Days and nights spent, Shiro awake -too troubled to sleep- from thinking about what a monster he was. They found and extracted pieces of metal from him. He arm was taken and replaced with an instrument of death. He laid on his bed, his long hair ungroomed going over his memories in trying to find which ones were really his.

Keith visited him. He didn't have memories of Keith that were of the original Shiro's. His memories of Keith were his alone. The best part, Keith knew the original but didn't treat him differently. He treated him like a person, asking how he was doing and encouraging him. It was Keith that heard him cry and it was Keith that brought fresh clothes for him to wear. The Blade wasn't a buoy or a raft in a storm, Keith was an island with food and shelter.

It was why he was here, he wanted to pay back Keith. Even if it meant losing him to the real Shiro.

"I was thinking, maybe I shouldn't be called Shiro. Takashi would also get confusing," he gave Keith a smile. He knew it was a false one. Just like himself.

Keith looked at him.

"I'm not Shiro. So maybe Kuron?" He sat on the bed.

Keith frowned at him, "You're still my Shiro."

Kuron gave a complacent smile back, "I know but it's... easier to just call me, 'Kuron'."

Keith climbed into Kuron's lap, a gesture that Shiro, the real one, wasn't used but Kuron was. Keith pressed his forehead against Kuron's. Both of them knew the origin of the name and like how the original Shiro laughed at 'Kogane' maybe 'Kuron' which is remarkably similar to 'clone' would incite a laugh as well.

He knew Keith's objections to it, but Kuron didn't care. He was just a spare who was lucky enough to cross paths with someone wonderful.

* * *

Keith shut the door to stall and locked the latch. In a place with so little privacy, it was the most private place he knew off. How did both of them survive living here? There's so many people here and just a whole mess of emotions that he couldn't quite read as fast.

Shiro, the first one, was busy with other classes. There was a system of learning here and it was strange. Keith had tutors when he was young, being that he was the only child there among adults. There was no group education and so being in a group of 'his peers' was strange and discomforting.

Were all people his age so... _immature_? Was it just humans beings at this age so obsessed with each other?

Keith knew the answer, but he wanted to deny it. Acceptance would mean that this was what normal people his age would be like when there is peace and that he was locked out of normalcy. His normal was one where sometimes a parent doesn't come back. He found out that parents typically are referred to as the biological pair the produced you, not the ones that guide you growing up. 

It was the alienation of the other cadets, even the well-meaning ones like the ones that hanged around Lance (he would have forgotten that name if it wasn't for the Shiro I keep bringing him up) that made Keith realize how everything could have been different for him. Shiro, the second, sympathized and tried to help, but Keith knew the terrors when Shiro, now Kuron, slept. Despite the help, Keith still felt lost when he wasn't with either of them.

And that was why he was here, trying to gather his patience and act like he wasn't an alien.

There was knock on the stall door and Keith snapped to the feet below it, olive gray-green trousers and spit-shined shoes.

"Keith?"

It was Shiro. He rubbed his face in case of any tears he shed unnoticed.

"Yes, sir?" Keith stood up and opened the stall door.

Shiro was looking at him, soft eyes.

"I heard about Lance. You have to be patient with some people. He's trying to find his own place," Shiro gave him a smile.

It pissed Keith off. It wasn't about Lance.

"Lance isn't the problem," Keith narrowed his eyes.

Shiro looked taken aback, and the bottom of Keith's stomach dropped. He said something wrong, something that a normal human wouldn't say. Even if it was Shiro, he should be in control. Any slip and he this whole mission is in danger.

"Then what is it, Keith?"

Keith's shoulders dropped. "Permission to speak freely."

Shiro nodded, "That's what we are doing now."

"I don't think I can ever fit here."

It was a painful admittance, but then a hand was on his shoulder.

"Keith. I think I can understand. The reason I wanted to explore space was that I felt that I was meant to be somewhere else. So, we'll find it," Shiro's smile dropped but Keith still knew that it was there trying to reach to him.

Just like before when Keith learned that he had a place where he could belong, a homeworld that wasn't the long-destroyed Daizabaal. It was so strange, lots of water that was perfect for the Blue Lion's home. Yet humans weren't aquatic beings, they lived on the land surrounded by the water.

Shiro entertained his questions the most out of the three, but in the end, the plan was for Shiro to leave. Keith knew he would miss him. He did and still did when he saved the second Shiro. Sometimes at night, he woke up and wonder how he would feel if he lost one of them. The suggestion made his heart erupt at the idea of being separated.

The night before, he smelled two scents as he slowly went to sleep. One he hadn’t smelled in a long time and one that was always there. Both comforting him as he closed his eyes and dreamed of a brighter future.

"We'll be out of here in a few hours. You can do it, Keith."

Keith sighed and nodded. He could do this.

Shiro flashed a portable disk drive in his lapel.

Keith hoped that the future meant that the three of them would be together, no matter where they were in the universe.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos, Comments, and Bookmarks are always appreciated. 
> 
> My twitter is: [RukaIsAFan](http://www.twitter.com/RukaIsAFan).  
> My tumblr is: [RukaIsAFan](http://RukaIsAFan.tumblr.com).


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